The alternative to changing careers is to be miserable the rest of your life
You might need to reread the article title. It is a strange way to say: if you stay in a career that you hate, you will be unhappy. Most people cling to the status quo. The law of inertia, Newton’s first law of motion, stemmed from the observation that things that are in motion tend […]
Career Inspiration
I watch many documentaries. In an earlier post, I wrote about Jiro Dreams of Sushi. This movie was so good that someone like me who doesn’t care about either cooking or sushi found it captivating. Jiro, the sushi chef, embodies the path of the expert. Choosing and then developing an expertise in the New World […]
Career Mentor
If you can find a mentor for your career, you are very lucky. I have read several hundred career advice books through the years and more than a few note that a career mentor is invaluable. The problem: most every successful mentor relationship emerges after the mentee has chosen his/her field. That type of mentorship […]
Future Career Vision: Ideally Create While Not In Career Misery
Most career counseling clients I meet are in present pain. Specifically, something is bad enough to prompt them to contact a career counselor. Much like seeing a doctor when one is sick, the client wants to have their discomfort to end immediately. I understand and do whatever I can to figure out how to do […]
Connecticut Blizzard 2015: Are you so happy that you don’t have to work? If so, it might be time to change your career.
As Blizzard Colbie approaches, children throughout Connecticut delight at the prospect of a couple of snow days. Many adults do as well if they view the snow as a temporary respite from work. One of my career counseling clients called to reschedule our in person meeting to a Skype meeting said: “I don’t care how […]
Career Lessons From 24
I am often a step behind the TV or music times. I discovered 1990s grunge rock superband Nirvana only after its lead singer Kurt Cobain died. Despite hearing about 24 for years, I only recently started watching. The rave reviews are warranted. This is not a spoiler alert but if you are really concerned about […]
What’s not working? Your career vision? career strategy? or career tactics?
Most of our career counseling clients need help finding a career vision, answering that never ending question – what do I want to do when I grow up? – that seems to plague people through their thirties, forties, and even fifties. Some, however, have an objectively solid career vision. But they stopped moving forward because […]
Replacing I HAVE to go to work with I GET to do the work I love
This is not my idea and I’m not even sure it related to careers. But I read somewhere that learning to replace “I have to…” in the obligatory sense with the “I get to…” in the sense of privilege makes all the difference. In parental life, this might mean I get to help my child […]
What if your work made you happier?
Sometime I feel like a tour guide from Hawaii meeting natives of Siberia (at least in days prior to media). I describe the great possibilities of warm water, endless sun, and easy living. The natives want to believe. But the elders look on skeptically. Life as they know it has always been cold, stormy, and […]
Create Your Career Expertise
The contrast between the Old World of Work and the New World of Work has become increasingly striking to me as I work with career counseling clients. David had the classic Old World of Work job. Within his large company based in Stamford, Connecticut, he learned a particular process – let’s call it creating TPS […]